Friday, September 17
Olympia Fields, Ill.
Pepperdine University
at
OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational
Photo by: Ron Hall
#1 Men's Golf Begins Title Defense in Illinois
9/15/2021 9:09:00 AM | Men's Golf
MALIBU, California — The top-ranked and defending NCAA champion Pepperdine men's golf team begins its quest to repeat this weekend. An experienced squad competes against an elite field at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational.
EVENT INFO — The Fighting Illini Invitational will be held at the par-70, 7,205-yard Olympia Fields Country Club (North Course) in Olympia Fields, Illinois. There will be 18 holes each day between Friday and Sunday (Sept. 17-19). Live scoring will be available via Golfstat.Â
FIELD — In addition to Pepperdine, the 15-team field includes host Illinois, Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, California, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Stanford and Texas.
The tournament features the top five teams in the preseason Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll (Pepperdine, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, North Carolina, Texas) and 10 schools in the top 25.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — Pepperdine's lineup consists of senior Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School), junior William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS), senior Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School), senior Joey Vrzich (El Cajon, Calif./Christian HS/Nevada) and junior Dylan Menante (Carlsbad, Calif./Sage Creek HS),Â
RANKINGS — The Waves were picked as the nation's #1 team in the preseason in the Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll, and in Golf Channel's season preview.
Golf Channel's preseason top 40 players: Menante 12th, Mouw 14th, Highsmith 22nd, Vrzich 33rd.
PGA Tour University rankings: Highsmith 13th, Vrzich 14th, Hitchner 36th.
World Amateur Golf Ranking: Menante 14th, Highsmith 24th, Vrzich 26th, Mouw 39th.
EVENT HISTORY — The Waves have played in the Fighting Illini Invitational just once before. They took third in 2019, and William Mouw was third as well.
2021-22 HONORS — Dylan Menante and William Mouw were named to the Haskins Award watch list ... The Waves took up five of the 10 spots on the preseason All-WCC team, with Menante, Mouw, Joe Highsmith, Derek Hitchner and Joey Vrzich ... The Waves are the unanimous favorite to win the WCC title again in the preseason vote of the coaches.
RECORDS WATCH — Four current Waves rank among Pepperdine's top eight on the all-time scoring list — Dylan Menante at #2 (70.82), William Mouw at #3 (70.88), Joe Highsmith at #4 (71.42) and Derek Hitchner at #8 (72.08) ... Joey Vrzich (70.39) will join the list (and could take over the top spot) after playing two more tournaments ... Highsmith is eighth in below-par rounds (45).
ROSTER — It's a smaller squad than years past, with only six Waves on the roster. But four of them are returning All-Americans who were in the lineup for the national championship. The breakdown is three seniors, two juniors and one freshman. Joey Vrzich utilized a COVID-19 redshirt year to play a fifth season of college golf.
SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS — Dylan Menante was part of the Arnold Palmer Cup-winning U.S. team in June ... Joe Highsmith played in the U.S. Open after winning a qualifier ... All five returning Waves played in the U.S. Amateur, with Highsmith making the round of 32 ... Menante won the Northeast Amateur, while Derek Hitchner won the Minnesota Amateur and Trans-Mississippi Championship.
2020-21 RECAP — Despite finishing the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season as the nation's #1 team, many people wrote off the Waves last season after the graduation of National Player of the Year Sahith Theegala. But the Waves maintained their elite status, winning a program-record six tournaments, including the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Country Club. The Waves finished third in stroke play to advance to match play for the first time, where they beat the top three ranked teams in the country in Florida State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. A total of six Waves earned All-American honors, led by Joey Vrzich (second team) and WCC Player of the Year Dylan Menante (third team). Pepperdine also won the WCC title for the 21st time with a record score of 49-under.
PEPPERDINE GOLF — Thanks to its victories at the 1997 and 2021 NCAA Championships, Pepperdine has clinched a spot among the sport's elite. The Waves have made 11 appearances at the NCAA finals since 1993, and have achieved NCAA Regional berths in 25 of the last 29 tries. In the West Coast Conference, the Waves have won a league-best 21 championships since 1987 and have finished either first or second in 27 of the last 34 tournaments. Pepperdine has had 17 student-athletes earn All-American honors a total of 25 times. Sahith Theegala was the unanimous national player of the year in 2020, and the Waves have had two Byron Nelson Award winners (Jason Allred in 2002 and Michael Putnam in 2005). Theegala will become the seventh Wave to play on the PGA Tour in 2021-22.
BEARD — Former Pepperdine All-American Michael Beard is in his 10th season as the Waves' head coach. He earned the Dave Williams Award as the Division I National Coach of the Year in 2020 after leading the Waves to the #1 ranking before the pandemic cancelled the season, then led Pepperdine to the NCAA title in 2021. He became the first WCC men's golf coach ever to earn WCC Coach of the Year honors three consecutive years (2016-18) and he extended that streak to five straight in 2021. Beard competed for the Waves between 1999-2002 and was a GCAA All-American honorable mention selection in both 2000 and 2002. He was the medalist at the 2000 NCAA West Regional and the 2002 WCC Championships and was a four-time All-WCC first teamer. After playing professionally for several years, he served as an assistant coach at Pepperdine for one season and helped the Waves to make the 2011 NCAA Championships. Beard returned to Pepperdine in December 2012 after spending the previous season-and-a-half as an assistant at Arizona State.Â
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
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EVENT INFO — The Fighting Illini Invitational will be held at the par-70, 7,205-yard Olympia Fields Country Club (North Course) in Olympia Fields, Illinois. There will be 18 holes each day between Friday and Sunday (Sept. 17-19). Live scoring will be available via Golfstat.Â
FIELD — In addition to Pepperdine, the 15-team field includes host Illinois, Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, California, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Stanford and Texas.
The tournament features the top five teams in the preseason Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll (Pepperdine, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, North Carolina, Texas) and 10 schools in the top 25.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — Pepperdine's lineup consists of senior Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School), junior William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS), senior Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School), senior Joey Vrzich (El Cajon, Calif./Christian HS/Nevada) and junior Dylan Menante (Carlsbad, Calif./Sage Creek HS),Â
RANKINGS — The Waves were picked as the nation's #1 team in the preseason in the Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll, and in Golf Channel's season preview.
Golf Channel's preseason top 40 players: Menante 12th, Mouw 14th, Highsmith 22nd, Vrzich 33rd.
PGA Tour University rankings: Highsmith 13th, Vrzich 14th, Hitchner 36th.
World Amateur Golf Ranking: Menante 14th, Highsmith 24th, Vrzich 26th, Mouw 39th.
EVENT HISTORY — The Waves have played in the Fighting Illini Invitational just once before. They took third in 2019, and William Mouw was third as well.
2021-22 HONORS — Dylan Menante and William Mouw were named to the Haskins Award watch list ... The Waves took up five of the 10 spots on the preseason All-WCC team, with Menante, Mouw, Joe Highsmith, Derek Hitchner and Joey Vrzich ... The Waves are the unanimous favorite to win the WCC title again in the preseason vote of the coaches.
RECORDS WATCH — Four current Waves rank among Pepperdine's top eight on the all-time scoring list — Dylan Menante at #2 (70.82), William Mouw at #3 (70.88), Joe Highsmith at #4 (71.42) and Derek Hitchner at #8 (72.08) ... Joey Vrzich (70.39) will join the list (and could take over the top spot) after playing two more tournaments ... Highsmith is eighth in below-par rounds (45).
ROSTER — It's a smaller squad than years past, with only six Waves on the roster. But four of them are returning All-Americans who were in the lineup for the national championship. The breakdown is three seniors, two juniors and one freshman. Joey Vrzich utilized a COVID-19 redshirt year to play a fifth season of college golf.
SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS — Dylan Menante was part of the Arnold Palmer Cup-winning U.S. team in June ... Joe Highsmith played in the U.S. Open after winning a qualifier ... All five returning Waves played in the U.S. Amateur, with Highsmith making the round of 32 ... Menante won the Northeast Amateur, while Derek Hitchner won the Minnesota Amateur and Trans-Mississippi Championship.
2020-21 RECAP — Despite finishing the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season as the nation's #1 team, many people wrote off the Waves last season after the graduation of National Player of the Year Sahith Theegala. But the Waves maintained their elite status, winning a program-record six tournaments, including the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Country Club. The Waves finished third in stroke play to advance to match play for the first time, where they beat the top three ranked teams in the country in Florida State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. A total of six Waves earned All-American honors, led by Joey Vrzich (second team) and WCC Player of the Year Dylan Menante (third team). Pepperdine also won the WCC title for the 21st time with a record score of 49-under.
PEPPERDINE GOLF — Thanks to its victories at the 1997 and 2021 NCAA Championships, Pepperdine has clinched a spot among the sport's elite. The Waves have made 11 appearances at the NCAA finals since 1993, and have achieved NCAA Regional berths in 25 of the last 29 tries. In the West Coast Conference, the Waves have won a league-best 21 championships since 1987 and have finished either first or second in 27 of the last 34 tournaments. Pepperdine has had 17 student-athletes earn All-American honors a total of 25 times. Sahith Theegala was the unanimous national player of the year in 2020, and the Waves have had two Byron Nelson Award winners (Jason Allred in 2002 and Michael Putnam in 2005). Theegala will become the seventh Wave to play on the PGA Tour in 2021-22.
BEARD — Former Pepperdine All-American Michael Beard is in his 10th season as the Waves' head coach. He earned the Dave Williams Award as the Division I National Coach of the Year in 2020 after leading the Waves to the #1 ranking before the pandemic cancelled the season, then led Pepperdine to the NCAA title in 2021. He became the first WCC men's golf coach ever to earn WCC Coach of the Year honors three consecutive years (2016-18) and he extended that streak to five straight in 2021. Beard competed for the Waves between 1999-2002 and was a GCAA All-American honorable mention selection in both 2000 and 2002. He was the medalist at the 2000 NCAA West Regional and the 2002 WCC Championships and was a four-time All-WCC first teamer. After playing professionally for several years, he served as an assistant coach at Pepperdine for one season and helped the Waves to make the 2011 NCAA Championships. Beard returned to Pepperdine in December 2012 after spending the previous season-and-a-half as an assistant at Arizona State.Â
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
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